Chevy Metal Breathes Life Into This Mom

March 6th, 2012 by MomsLA

Someone had to go and post the details on Facebook announcing the Chevy Metal gig on February 25th and what normally would have only been 35 people turned into easily 300+ fans waiting to see the band at Rock and Roll Pizza at The Rack in Woodland Hills. You’re wondering who Chevy Metal is, right?

Rock and Roll Pizza at The Rack

Chevy Metal is a 70’s rock cover band who play deep cuts off albums by Black Sabbath, Van Halen, Queen, and The Stones. What made this cover band such a hot ticket last weekend is that Chevy Metal is made up of 2/5 of the GRAMMY award winning band Foo Fighters. This is a side project for drummer Taylor Hawkins and guitarist Chris Shiflett. The trio is rounded out by Wiley Hodgden on bass.

Chris Shiflett

Wiley Hodgden

Twitter was blowing up with tweets from Foo fans who had been waiting outside since the morning hours and from others who had driven as far as Las Vegas for the impromptu show. It didn’t look good for us when we pulled up and the line waiting to get into the pizzeria was hundreds of people deep. I tried keeping my expectations low but was hardly able to contain the fan-girl inside of me. I may have let out an audible “WOO-HOO!” when the venue’s manager found a way to let in another 19 people just as we were inches from the door.

I used to live and breath live music. In my early twenties, I spent many late nights (and the following days with ringing in my ears) in and around Orange and L.A. counties seeing a bunch of no-name bands who either eventually made it big or fizzled out. We didn’t always see the best musicians or singers but there is an electricity and passion for the music that is undeniably addicting. Sadly, those fun, late, and loud nights out have become very few and far between as I get closer and closer to forty.

I felt that electricity in two seconds flat after getting past the bouncer. My friend suggested we go into the bar while the opening band played. She spotted another friend in the V.I.P. area just as I locked eyes with one of the world’s most talented drummers. Time moved in slow motion as I watched Taylor Hawkins move past the velvet ropes (or yellow plastic chain link) towards the bar for another drink. The man was no more than three feet from me and I could have dropped dead of happiness right then and there!

I gleefully soaked in the passion while Chevy Metal played songs such as Van Halen’s “Panama,” and “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” David Bowie’s “Queen Bitch,” and Queen’s “Tie Your Mother Down,” where Taylor stepped out from behind the skins and took center stage as lead vocalist.

Taylor Hawkins

It had been a very long time since I had been to a gig like this and didn’t know that the show would leave this Stay-At-Home-Mom wanting more. Since seeing Chevy Metal last weekend, I’ve been scouring the music calendars – with ringing in my ears – looking for my next hit. I’m hooked again and I’ve realized now how much I have missed it.

Rock and Roll Pizza at The Rack is located at 6100 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Woodland Hills, CA 91303 (818)348-1524. Updates on tour information for Chevy Metal can be found on their Facebook page.

Wendy Nielsen is a full-time mom living in Orange County. She writes about surviving marriage, motherhood, and breast cancer at Wendy Will Blog and is currently undergoing an exercise in happiness at Chronically Distracted.

All photos (except the first which belongs to the writer) courtesy of Wicked Goddess Photography via SmugMug. I was not compensated to write this post.

You definitely should check out Rock & Roll Pizza in Woodland Hills. I was thinking it would be a place the husband and I would hang out at or get a drink at even if they didn’t have 2/5 of Foo Fighters playing!